Fishing early ice on Upper Red Lake has always been somewhat of a “bucket list” item for me. This year we decided to make it happen and contacted Pat Frost who owns Alpine Fish House Rentals to see if we could get on the lake’s famous first ice walleye bite. We scheduled this trip less than two weeks out, and while the lake was still mostly open. The weather conditions looked favorable for ice, but Pat insisted that we stay in touch every few days to make sure the trip would still be on due to wind moving the ice sheet. It wasn’t until about four days out that we knew we would for sure be able to safely get on the lake. We called Pat when we were about an hour out asking where to find bait and what to pick up. He suggested a local bait shop and said he would get the house warmed up for our arrival. We finally arrived and met Pat in the bar at Roger’s Resort. Alpine Fish House Rentals runs out of Roger’s, which is on the southeast end of Upper Red Lake. Pat greeted us with open arms and gave us a quick tour of the shack, fish cleaning house, and resort. We also got a quick fishing report from Pat, who told us the bite was excellent. He said he thought we would likely limit out in less than two hours even with our group of six. The shack we stayed in was a six-person shack, which included a two-burner propane cook top, radio, battery powered lights, a small table with chairs, and a propane heater. Due to the thin ice the shack was located on shore, only about twenty feet from the edge of the lake. We got ourselves set up for the night and made plans to meet with Pat in the morning to get out on the ice. In the morning we got our sleds loaded up and met with Pat at our shack so he could get us out on the ice. He hauled our gear with an ATV about a ¼ mile onto the ice, which was up to a large crack that could only be crossed by foot. He pointed out a few areas where he said the fish would be and we took off across the ice. We set up on his suggested location and it wasn’t five minutes before we had fish on the ice. The action was fast and furious to say the least. In less than ninety minutes we had thirteen keepers and decided to call it a morning so we could keep some fish during the evening bite. We headed back to the shore for lunch and met up with a fellow member of "The Walleye Challenge" fishing tournament who was also on Upper Red Lake that day. A short time later we headed out for the evening bite with only a few fish to catch before we finished up our limit. We ended up finishing up our six-man limit of fish before sunset and got back to the shack just as it was getting dark. The fishing was still unbelievable, but their mood had definitely changed. The bite changed from a jigging presentation in the morning to set lines during the evening. Pat told us that meant it was time to move, and gave us another couple options for catching fish the next morning. We took his advice and moved about 2/3rds of a mile out to some deeper water. This turned out to be a great move for us as we ran into a much larger class of fish. Our set lines were still putting the majority of the fish on the ice for us, but we were consistently catching 16-20 inch fish with nothing under 14 inches the whole day. After our second day on the ice we got to catch up with Pat for a while on shore. He explained that he has been working for outfitters on Upper Red Lake for several years, and just had the opportunity to run Alpine Fish House Rentals this year. He has lots of entertaining stories about fishing as a kid with his dad using some pretty innovative techniques, to being an “extra” in the movie Grumpy Old Men. He is a genuine guy with a big smile who really loves getting people on fish. Our experience with Alpine Fish House Rentals was better than we could have asked for. We had great fishing, excellent accommodations, and an outstanding outfitter to top it off. I would highly recommend Alpine Fish House Rentals if you are looking to get out on Upper Red Lake. Here’s how you can contact Alpine Fish House Rentals to experience this amazing walleye fishery. Alpine Fish House Rentals Pat Frost 612-423-0039

Last weekend I, along with a few friends, made the trip up to Morris Point Lake View Lodge on Lake of the Woods. We got up to the lake early on Thursday afternoon, and stayed until Sunday morning. We rented a cabin through their “Complete Leisure Package,” which included three nights in a cabin and two days in their permanent ice houses. The package included a road pass and bait for the days we fished. As far as accommodations go, you cannot ask for anything more. Our cabin was completely equipped with everything we needed as far as utensils to cook, a full size refrigerator, full size bathroom and linens for the beds. Another bonus with Morris Point is the on-site fish-cleaning house, along with a restaurant and bar only feet from the cabin door. It truly is a place where all you need to bring is your ice rod and jigs. As far as fishing goes, we were welcomed with a cold snap that brought overnight temperatures down to below -20 degrees. Their guides, Ricky and Ronnie, welcomed us as we arrived at the shacks. They are some real north woods characters that will leave you with some one-liners I’ll bet you’ve never heard before. They checked up on us several times each day to see how we were doing and gave us tips on how other houses were catching fish. The shacks we were in ranged from 4-man to 6-man houses. They have a variety of layouts from benches on the outside walls with holes in the middle to folding chairs in the center with holes on the outer walls. The shacks are well insulated and have a heater built into the wall as well as propane lights. There are no generators at any of the shacks so there is no power unless you bring your own source. All things considered our group did relatively well compared to other groups who reported only catching a few fish. In total we caught around 70 fish between our 5 guys. The fish were in a negative mood and for the most part just wanted a plain hook tipped with a minnow under a float. We did also catch a few fish while jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head or small plastics. Most of the fish were on the small size, they averaged about 12” throughout the trip with one fish being in the slot. The water we fished was anywhere from 29-32’ which seemed to be a little bit on the deeper side, but that’s where the fish were I guess. We brought up food to cook on our own for one of the nights we were there, and caught some fish for a fish fry the second night. The final night we decided to eat at the restaurant after a long day on the lake. While the food was good, the service from staff left quite a bit to be desired. The bar and restaurant was significantly understaffed for the number of people staying at the resort. We ordered a round of drinks while we looked at menus, after they were brought to our table, it was another 30 minutes before the waitress returned to take our order. Our group of 5 then waited for our food and watched as other larger groups, who had arrived after us, already had their food. Overall, the price is definitely right at Morris Point if you are looking to make a trip to Lake of the Woods. While the service isn’t anything to write home about, you cannot get the same accommodations anywhere else in the area unless you are willing to spend quite a bit more. Our group left the resort with no complaints aside from the service in the restaurant, and I think every one of us would recommend staying at Morris Point Lake View Lodge to any of our friends. If you are interested in booking a trip at Morris Point Lake View Lodge here is their info: Morris Point Lake View Lodge Al & Michelle Holte www.morrispointlodge.com 218-634-2570 Here is a short list of some gear we used on our trip: Frozen Puppy Custom Ice Rods St. Croix Rods Blake’s Custom Baits Doug’s Lures Brantner Jigs LLC Jiffy

Last week my wife surprised me with a trip up to beautiful Lake Vermillion for a week chasing muskies. She also set up a full day of fishing with local musky guide Jason Lane. If you aren’t familiar, Jason is a Lake Vermillion nut who lives and breathes for huge muskies. Jason picked us up from our dock at White Eagle Resort and within minutes we were on some beautiful musky territory. We were plagued with some terrible weather as we arrived the day before with 3+ foot waves and torrential downpours. Not the best fishing conditions as you can imagine. The first few spots yielded no fish or follows, but we were hopeful as the major was near midday. As the morning progressed, Jason emphasized the importance of not wearing ourselves out for the upcoming major. He told us again and again that many people wear themselves out during the times of the day that aren’t “prime,” and aren’t totally on their game when it counts the most. We took his advice and fished hard, but smart, throughout the morning hours. The major for the daylight hours started late morning, with the peak at 1230 PM. As you can imagine, the excitement was high as we approached the prime time of the day when you are fishing arguably the best musky water in North America. Jason saved one of his best spots for this time of the trip and it definitely paid off. We were fishing a shallow bay with the majority of the water being less than 12 feet deep. We fished the weeds with blades and rubber as we slowly moved through the area. Jason and I saw what we believed to be a nice musky follow a bait on the side imaging which got us talking about what the fish do after following when we don’t see them. He said he thinks most fish end up sitting under the boat and moving along with it as the angler continues to fish the area. Within ten minutes of seeing the fish on side imaging we were into the shallowest part of the bay. I was throwing a black bucktail in the middle of the boat as my wife was throwing a green bucktail on the bow. I made another cast towards the weed line and began the retrieve, paying close attention to the lure as we were nearing the peak of the major. I saw my bait about 15’ from the boat as it rolled just below the surface of the water. As it got closer to my feet I could see the silhouette of a big fish flying up from below the boat. I started yelling “fish, fish, it’s hot, it’s hot” as it followed the beginning of my figure eight. I did a huge sweeping loop towards the bow of the boat and immediately on the turn the fish inhaled my bait. The fight was on! The fish immediately breached the surface and thrashed in the water. It pulled me towards the back of the boat, and around the transom, which was just enough time for Jason to get ready on the opposite side with the net for a perfect net job. It felt like sixty seconds, but probably took about eight. For those that haven’t experienced this type of fishing let me tell you something. There is no better feeling than seeing a big brown back of a musky in the bag next to a boat. After a few quick ecstatic cheers and high fives it was time to unhook the beast. Jason is an absolute surgeon and quickly cut one of the hooks which was near the gills and within seconds the fish was free without any blood at all. After a few moments, we were able to collect ourselves and prepared to take the fish out for a picture. Jason dampened the measuring board and helped hold the net as I pulled the fish out of the water. We took a couple of quick photos, put it down for a quick measurement, and back in the water it went. Keeping the amount of time we have these fish out of the water to a minimum is essential to their survival. It wasn’t long and I could tell she was ready to go. She swam off full of power, the perfect release that no angler could ever forget. We again celebrated the catch with high fives all around, an amazing moment shared by three people that were brought together by a beautiful creature. If you are interested in fishing with Jason Lane feel free to get ahold of him via Facebook. You can also call or send a message to his guide service, Northern Lights and Outdoors Guide Service at (218) 910-5368.

Earlier this summer I made the trip to Milwaukee and fished with Captain Austin and Blue Ribbon Outdoors. Austin is a U.S. military veteran who returned to his home state of Wisconsin to fulfill his dream of being a charter captain after serving overseas. We met him on the dock at 6 o’clock in the morning and were on our way out almost immediately. The plan was to find the school he had located the day before and see what we could get ourselves into from there. We took a quick boat ride out of the harbor and just like that we were fishing. Austin’s boat is a 31’ long, 12’ wide fishing machine named “Regicide” that is made to handle Lake Michigan waves with ease. While his boat can handle some big water, he is always watching the weather to make sure your trip will be both enjoyable and safe. We set up a nice spread of downriggers, dipsy divers, and planer boards and quickly got into the fish. We caught some wildly acrobatic Steelhead as well as a few Coho Salmon and Lake Trout. Unfortunately we were just a few days too early into the season to get into a pile of King Salmon. It was a great trip and the first for my six-year-old son. Austin was great with him and loves seeing them smile as they fight some truly giant Lake Michigan fish. Austin is a fishing maniac and will run up to three guided trips a day during the prime time of the season. He will quickly show you that he is not in the business of fishing, but in the business of catching. You will be brought to where the fish are and get ready, because you are about to get bit. If you think I’m kidding just Google the name of his boat. Blue Ribbon Outdoors is a full service-fishing guide in the spring and summer, which includes packaging and cleaning of the fish you catch. They also provide duck hunts in the fall as well as guided ice-fishing trips in the winter. Give Captain Austin a call at 608-698-3332 and make some room in the freezer for a pile of fresh Lake Michigan fillets! Blue Ribbon Outdoors 1750 N. Lincoln Memorial Slip 1A Milwaukee, WI 608-698-3332

Last month I had the opportunity to fish with Brad Buczko in Goodland, Florida. Brad is a full time firefighter who guides on almost every day off. He has fished the waters of south Florida since he was a kid and seems to know just about everyone around. Goodland is known as the gateway to the 10,000 islands, and is located just north of the Florida Everglades. After meeting Brad at the dock we took a quick run out to Marco Island Beach to get some bait. One cast of the net and we were flying back into the mangroves to start fishing. Brad said snook, redfish and sea trout were on the targeted species list for the day. The first spot we stopped was known as a “big fish spot,” we casted to the shoreline and let our minnows do the work from there. We caught a few catfish, and were all bit off several times by some Spanish mackerels. While at the first stop we had a manatee come right up to the side of the boat, boy are those things huge! After about 20 minutes with no monster snook, Brad said it was time to go to another spot. Brad’s fishing style is simple, run and gun. Pull up the trolling motor, reel in the lines and off we went. He doesn’t like to spend a whole lot of time on any one spot because the fish are moving so much with the changing tides. We repeated this process about a dozen times throughout the morning, catching a handful of fish at each spot before moving to the next. We caught a pile of fish, mostly snook and redfish, but unfortunately no monsters like Brad is known to catch. Overall it was a great trip and we will certainly be fishing with him again in the future! If you are interested in checking out other species of fish definitely keep Brad in mind. He guides for tarpon when they move through southern Florida, his best fish he guided this year weighed 100 pounds. Give him a call and get yourself out on the water for a chance at a monster! Capt. Brad Buczko WATER TIME Inshore Fishing (239) 963-5282